Getting ink out of silk
What changes on silk. The alcohol that dissolves ink also dissolves silk dye, so the standard method trades an ink mark for a bleached one.
The method for silk
- 1Test on an inside seam first, and wait for it to dry. Silk dye lifts slowly enough to look fine while wet.
- 2If the test lifts colour, stop. This is a professional job and nothing at home improves it.
- 3If it does not, back the fabric with a white cloth and apply the smallest possible amount with a cotton bud.
- 4Blot from the outside of the mark inward, moving to clean cloth constantly.
- 5Rinse the area with cool water immediately rather than letting the alcohol sit.
What ruins it
No hairspray, no hand sanitiser, no soaking. All three are standard ink advice and all three are written for cotton.
The general case, and what it costs you
The general method, the detection notes and what this does to a garment's resale value are on the ink stains page.
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